- Created by
- Obstacle Illusions Media, American
- Subject of
- Abu-Jamal, Mumia, American, born 1954
- Wallace, Herman, American, 1941 - 2013
- Created by
- Woodfox, Albert, American, 1947 - 2022
- Subject of
- King, Robert Hillary
- Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
- Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, American, founded 1835
- Date
- 2006
- Medium
- ink on paper (fiber product) and cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 4 3/4 × 3 3/8 × 1/4 in. (12 × 8.5 × 0.7 cm)
- Description
- A small, pocket-sized blue notebook titled “3 Black Panthers & the Last Slave Plantation” owned by Herman Wallace while incarcerated at Angola Prison.
- The front cover’s title is printed in bold orange ink. The dark silhouettes of three human figures, one with their fist raised, feature prominently against a blue background and black barbed wire. Below the title, in white ink, is: [Narrated By Mumia Abu-Jamal / Interviews with: / Bo (Rita) Brown / Emory Douglass / Fred Hampton jr / David Hilliard / Yuri Kochiyama / Malik Rahim / Gail Shaw / Rod Coronado / Althea Francois / Noelle Hanrahan / Billy X Jennings / Kiilu Nyasha / Geronimo (ji jaga) Pratt / Luis “Bato” Talamantez / & many others…].
- The inside of the notebook contains lineless white pages, on which are written varying details; names, telephone numbers, notes, etc.
- On the back cover of the notebook is a prominent illustration of black barbed wire. There is an extended summary of the story of the “Angola Three” printed in yellow ink and a small black-and-white image of the Three (Herman Wallace, Robert King, and Albert Woodfox). The summary reads: [3 Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation tells the gripping story of / three member of the Black Panther Party, known collectively as / the Angola 3. We explore their extraordinary struggles for dignity, justice, and / human rights while incarcerated in Angola Prison in Louisiana, one of the / most brutal and racist prisons in the United States. / The Angola 3 were politicized through contact with members of the Black / Panther Party while inside prison, and in 1971 formed one of the only / recognized prison Panther chapters. Under conditions of segregation, / racism, and repression, they organized other prisoners to build a movement / for their rights; and astonishing feat given Angola Prison’s history of repression. / The focus of 3 Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation is on the hidden / facts and cover-ups that have surrounded and clouded their cases since the / 1970s. In addition, the movie explores the political climate of the 1960s and 70s that produced political prisoners in America, situating the Angola 3 within / the political unrest of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements that / emerged within prison walls in America. / Award winning journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal narrates from Pennsylvania’s / death row, taking the viewer through the history of Angola Prison as it was / transformed from a Civil War era slave plantation to a hard labor prison. / After 33+ years in solitary confinement for their political beliefs, the Angola 3 / has gained international calls for their release. Amnesty International, the / parliaments of Belgium, Netherlands, Indonesia, and Portugal as well as the / African National Congress in South Africa have decried their solitary isolation / as cruel and unusual punishment and recognize their status as political / prisoners within the US prison system. / 3 Black Panthers and the L. S. P. / encourages viewers to think critically / about the history of racism in U.S. / prisons, and offers possibilities to / become active in changing the / conditions of the prison system.].
- Below the summary, printed in black ink inside of a pink square, is: [OBSTACLE / ILLUSIONS / media]. At the bottom of the cover, printed in bold white ink inside of a long grey rectangle is: [www.3blackpanthers.com / Running Time: 1:45:00 Copyright 2006 ?S?].
- Place used
- Angola, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Herman Wallace Archival Collection
- Classification
- Books and Published Materials
- Movement
- Black Power (Black Pride)
- Type
- notebooks
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maria Hinds
- Object number
- A2018.36.1.10
- Restrictions & Rights
- Cover: © 2006 ?S? Interior: © Herman Wallace
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




